Is the educational system a meritocratic instition?
...n the educational system resulting solely on the amount of effort that is put in. The 'Oxford Class Mobility' study strongly supports this functionalist meritocatic viewpoint. The study discovered that three-quarters of working-class children didn't go on to pursue higher education because they didn't put the effort in and so didn't get the grades. Three-quarters of working class children in the same study did go on to continue at higher education. Paul Willis' study on 'working-class' boys in the 1970's found a similer result. He found that these boys 'rejected' the school system and didn't put the effort in out of 'parental influence' e.g. from folling in their farthers footsteps of going into predominantly working-class jobs. These two cases are not down to the schools being 'unmeritocratic' institutions, but rather the childrens view of educational achievement being corrupted by outside influences such as parents. Small scale studies such as Willis' using quantative data methods can be used to backup the functionalist viewpoint that the educational system is indeed meritocratic. Marxists take the direct opposite viewpoint of the educational system to that of Functionalists. They believe that by no-means are schools in anyway meritocratic institutions. Louis Althusser of the Neo-Marxist perspective states that, "the educational system is made up of 'state apparatus' meaning that the school system is set up to be in favour of the ruling and middle-classes, but in more ways than one the whole nature of the educational system, strongly disadvantages the working classes." Historical information into the educational system also supports the view that meritocracy is largely a myth. For example, the 'tripite' system where schools were catigorized into three main types designed to suit the needs of individual class backgrounds, strongly relates to this Marxist viewpoint. The working-class sector were predominantly taught 'manual' skills which were of no use accidemically, as they were not able to gain sufficient qualifications therefore limiting their life-chances. Basil Burnstein, found a similer result in his study of secondary schools. He found that teachers tended to use 'elaberate' code when addressing middle-class students which was full of the terms that they needed accedemicall...